Walking around Swarthmore, headphones, earbuds, and AirPods plug the ears of the studious pupil. Though one does not wear AirPods when socializing, when you need to buckle down and “lock in,” often using sound to distance yourself from the outside world is helpful.
When I am reading, I do not listen to music (or, if I do, I listen only to classical music I have heard many times before). I find it very hard to bring new information into my brain while listening intently to something else. However, when I am writing or working on math, activities that for me require a different kind of focus, I love putting on some music. I was recently listening to Kate Bush’s The Dreaming (underrated album), and it got me wondering what other people listen to.
The following are some of the answers from a non-exhaustive survey, which consisted of asking people what they were listening to at the moment; names have been changed to protect the identity of those involved (and some people decided to abuse this power).
At the bottom of the article is a Swarthmore Spotify playlist that can be put on when you are studying. I warn that you may have trouble finding a unifying theme, but perhaps it will provide an insight into the collective psyche of our student body.
STEPHANIE: I’m listening to “Magic” by the Cars. They’re from the seventies or eighties; it’s just good music. Some other bands I like listening to for studying are ones like Tame Impala and Miike Snow. They’re good music for when you’re reading, because they kind of isolate your brain in the headphones. It’s not distracting; it’s like lock-in music.
Also, these guys (holding out a photo of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard). They have like five million albums and they all sound totally different. Good stuff.
RAY: My playlist called she’s a query🌈. Here, you can look.
(This playlist contained a lot of Lizzie McAlpine and Gracie Abrams. Appropriate title.)
HILDA: I am currently listening to Sammy saying Bulgarian words for my phonetics class. However, last time I listened to music, I was listening to Hozier’s newest album.
GERONIMO: Hildegard von Bingen. It’s good study music. It makes me feel focused, like I’m doing my work for a higher purpose. I wish I was a nun.
ERNEST: “Moanin,” by Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers. It starts out with a familiar tune, and as you get into the song, the tune starts to fade away into the jazz, so you first enjoy the music but then can lock in.
SWAMP THING: Well, right now, I have on waves to help with tinnitus, but usually it’s classic folk and rock. Simon and Garfunkel, Big Thief, Sam Burton, and First Aid Kit.
JOHN: I usually put on classical, lots of Saint-Saens, Tchaikovsky, Liszt. I also put on the “Oppenheimer” soundtrack whenever I’m doing physics, which is what is on now.
RIVER: Måneskin, “Gossip.” I have to put on one song on repeat in order to focus, so this is what I have now.
STARLING: Hey, same. “Kyoto,” by Phoebe Bridgers, on loop. What a depressing answer.
THE PLAYLIST, FEATURING THESE RESPONSES AND MANY OTHERS FROM A VARIETY OF STUDENTS:
